Enrollment in the protocol closed March 31, 1996. Data indicated that for infants who are 25 to 27 weeks gestation by best obstetric estimate, postnatal age had no discernible effect on new Ballard Score between birth and 48 hours. The new Ballard score exceeds the best obstetric estimate of gestation age by a mean of 1-2 weeks. The range of differences is broad which may reflect either differences in maturation at the same gestational age or errors in assessing true gestation.